During Luigi’s first year in the ILLC, he was able to experience a lot of things that are new to him. Most of them include being more active outdoors during activities and communicating and interacting with people around him. Before, he used to have a more sedentary lifestyle where he plays with his gadgets only and communicates to just a few people. Now, he is more active in doing activities and he speaks more often especially when he really wants to say something. In addition to that, he has learned a lot of life skills and I believe that these will help him in the long run especially when he grows older. Before I end, I would like to thank teachers Kimmy, Flor and Rinna for being patient with my son, Luigi, despite his behavior in his first year in the ILLC. I am grateful for your determination in teaching him all the things he needs. Luigi is a precious son to me and I am glad with how he has changed during his stay in the school.

On September 25, 2001, my husband and I were blessed with our child Patrick John. He was okay until age 1 and 8 months when we noticed his behavior to be a little different from other babies. We sought the help of a developmental pediatrician who diagnosed him to have Global Developmental Delay. That day of his diagnosis started our journey of helping him cope with his condition. Whatever and wherever his doctors recommend, we followed. He went to SPED classes with the hopes that he can be mainstreamed. All of these sacrifices paid off. Patrick slowly but surely improved. With his improvement came the task to look for a better institution to help him (with the guidance of his DevPed Dra. Mimi Avendaño). He ultimately outgrew his former schools. The quest for a new and better institution led us to ILLC. He was evaluated by Teacher Archie and was placed under Transition Education Program and Functional Basic Education program. His first day in class was a pleasant surprise for us because he was able to adapt easily to his new school. With the help of his teachers, he continues to learn new things and overcome challenges. He looks forward to the different activities and experiences provided to them everyday especially during their Community Living Trip. As a parent, I am happy because Patrick was able to do things, which he normally does not like. With the encouragement and patience from his teachers, he is now open to exploring new things. Lastly, thank you to Teacher Archie and all the ILLC teachers and staff for their dedication in providing children like Patrick with a home away from home where they all feel loved and accepted.

Sherlyn is the type of girl who can be enthusiastic in sharing how her day in school went. She usually talks about the activities that her class did plus other interesting stories that are not included in her daily schedule. As each of her Mondays to Fridays come to an end, we can see how exhausted yet gratified she was in tasks ranging from making a tuna sandwich to dancing her heart out for an activity – it is clear that she enjoys such things. As a parent, we can see that Sherlyn has progressed, that she has been honed one small step at a time. With this, the school truly gives me a sense of relief because it is apparent that the school gets better and better and one may say that the school has accomplished a lot of things to be in its place at this moment. The kind of experience that ILLC provides is not just meant to cater to the needs of its students and their parents, it is also capable of producing an uplifting impact that emanates from various activities and programs made by the Program Director, Executive Director, their ever – supportive teachers, together with its energetic staff and the students themselves, to the very structure of the society.

My son Digo loves to dress up. Whenever we are in malls and pass by clothing stores, he would look at the displays and ask me questions on men’s fashion and style decorum. “Is that a leather jacket?” he would ask or, “Are trench coats appropriate in our country?” or “Does your tailor make suits out of wool?” A custom-tailored suit would definitely bring out the best in you. Just like education. Enrolling your child in a special school will improve his or her well-being. A couple of years ago, we signed up our son in a public school that offers special education. But the results were not that encouraging because of the sparse number of teachers in that field of specialization coupled with a number of kids from different levels of needs sheltered in just one classroom. My wife Mara and I then decided to enroll him in another school, where we hope Digo could learn basic life skills, where he could discover latent talents, where he could develop social abilities and meet new friends, where he could explore fresh subject matters at his own pace, and where he could prepare himself in a world that remains indifferent. We wished for an educational facility that will suit his needs. Tailor-fit, ika nga. With the help of his doctor, we found ILLC. After almost 10 months, Mara and I noticed stark improvements in the behavior of our son. He enjoys academic subjects that focus on geography, science, social studies, English, and some mathematics. He gingerly talks about the new friends he met in school, he could now cook his own food (he could fry an egg), he could buy small stuff in fast food chains or local convenience stores on his own, and he looks forward to doing school activities. It is a happy place for him. Simply put, ILLC—like a suit and tie—fits him.

Edmund C. Felizardo, Jr. fondly called Jun-Jun by his teachers, classmates and friends, is an eighteen-year-old boy who started in ILLC in June 2013. This year, he is part of the Junior High School (Grade 10) graduates in the FBE Program. In choosing a school for our children, parents always want the best. When we decided to enroll Jun-jun in ILLC, we were confident that his needs would be met, and we were not disappointed. When Jun-jun first entered the halls of ILLC four years ago, he was very shy, with limited social skills. ILLC exposed him to social activities like community field trips and sports; thus, he became more outgoing and sociable. He also learned helpful skills like household chores. He now makes his own bed, and even prepares the dining table for us at times. He also washes the dishes and keeps clothes in the closet. Having a child with special needs can be very challenging. It is imperative that we, as parents, work hand in hand with highly trained mentors to maximize our child’s capabilities. ILLC has provided that need with a touch of sensitivity. Sensitivity to a special child’s need to be accepted and to be loved. Thank you ILLC for the fruitful four years.